MLL Supplemental Draft: Grading Each Team's Picks

So what exactly is the MLL Supplemental Draft? At the end of every season each team needs to submit a list of protected players to the league. All of the leftover players get thrown in a sort of MLL purgatory and stew there until this Supplemental Draft takes place.

You’ll notice a few names missing that didn’t play in the league last year; that’s because they have either removed their name from the Player Pool or failed to register on time. The draft is an exersize in gamesmanship or optimisim that you'll find a few of the hidden gems. But, hey that doesn’t mean we can’t have some fun with it, right?

Chesapeake Bayhawks

Let us begin with the champions. The Bayhawks don’t need much. In 2010, Chesapeake had depth, speed and defense — three things that no other team possessed collectively at any time last year. They also had (have?) Dave Cottle. Now they have a championship. So what do they need? Sneaky attackmen? Finishers? A defenseman that can clear the ball? A guy to stand on the endline to back up the rubbery rockets they launch from the 2-point line? Yes, Yes, Yes and No — they have plenty of guys that chill behind the cage.

Best Pick: Jake Deane, LSM, UMass. Deane may not be the most adventurous pick in the draft, but getting a guy with solid MLL experience — in the sixth round of this draft — is classified as a steal. Deane isn’t a premier starter, but he is a great second LSM and can be a huge asset on face-offs. Deane averages 39 GBs a season (71 in 2007, 72 in ’08) in full and limited duty. The guy is a groundball goblin. Chesapeake also picked Shawn Nadelen and Ryan McClay early on, but those are no-brainer selections to give those two guys an option to play their final seasons in the league. They’re not bad players; they’re world champions. It’s just a predictable low-risk move.

Worst Pick: Mark Kovler, M, Princeton. I just don’t see how his skill set isn’t easily duplicated by anyone else in this draft. When the league is just six teams and every starting spot is already full you need to do something better than 90% of everyone else on your team. Mid-range finishers are a dime a dozen and that just happens to be what Kovler is.

Grade: B-. Unless McClay and Nadelen have great farewell seasons. Then it’s an A.

Long Island Lizards

I took imaginary bets with myself on when the Lizards would draft another defenseman. I guessed Round 3 and I was off by one round. The Lizards have seven defensemen on their roster. Seven. I’m not even counting LSMs. Out of those seven, five could start for any other team in the league. The Lizards are hoarding defensemen, and they must be stopped. Long Island picked Nick O’Hara (Duke) for a reason. Perhaps we have the first example of a team selecting someone just to trade him later? You know the Rochester fans want him back in Gold and Black.

Best Pick: Chris Rotelli, M, UVa. The West Coast transplant was left unprotected by the Machine after his third comeback season. Rotelli is just one of those guys that you can’t write off. He’s either been disappointing or underrated, depending on whom you ask in the league. He enjoyed his best season since 2007 in ’10 by putting up 23 points (17G, 6A) in 10 games. He could be due for another drop in production, but you can’t write off anyone that consistently puts up 20 points in this league.

Worst Pick: Craig Dowd, A, Georgetown. This fall Harvard played an exhibition game with Team USA. Not the full Team USA that won the gold medal, but six from last summer and the rest of the team was made up of alternates and random local guys. Craig Dowd was on this Zombie USA team. He played roughly half of the game. Dowd needs the ball in his stick and he’s never going to see it on the Lizards unless he blackmails Matt Danowski into passing it to him.

Grade: C. I just … another defenseman? Seriously?

Boston Cannons

Another disappointing season for the Cannons last year. Another MVP. Another top-scoring offense. Another playoff collapse. Toss in a goalie of the year award to sour the whiskey of hope for all Cannons fans. Oh well, at least they picked up all the guys they pretended to drop after the season like they always do … Wait … they picked WHO?!

Best Pick: Chazz Woodson, A, Brown. Chazz is back in Beantown. Sure the Cannons picked up local boys Stevie Boyle, Pierce Derkac and JJ Morrissey early on, but taking a flyer on Woodson in the seventh round might be the smartest player personnel move since they trade-murdered the Borg back in ’08. Many have doubted the Chazz, myself included, but maybe his problem really was injuries all along. We’ll find out soon. I know more than a few Boston fans that are excited to have him back in the fold, should he return to MLL from the LXM Pro Tour.

Worst Pick: Bruce Bickford, G, Drexel. Really? You have the 2010 Goalie of the Year in Kip Turner and the best backup in the league in Jordan Burke already on the roster. Did you really need to draft another goalie? No. You didn’t. Of course he played at a local college; otherwise it would break the tradition of drafting for convenience rather than drafting for impact.

Grade: Without Chazz this is an F + (The plus is for Benson Erwin, M, Johns Hopkins). With him it’s a C +

Denver Outlaws

It should be relatively difficult for Denver to draft anyone. The mountainous region is just about as far away from the East Coast as you can get without seeing palm trees. However, Denver goes out of its way to get talented players to take a chance out West. The franchise takes its own chances sometimes as well and has been known to make picks just to shake things up and put bums in seats. This draft was not a departure of form. Talent and hype are omnipresent on Denver’s draft board.

Best Pick: Tempted to name Sean McCarthy (D, Hofstra) here. Possibly the meanest defenseman to ever wear orange and black in a mountain-time zone, but he was never going to be picked by anyone else so it can’t be him. How about LXM Pro Ryan Cranston (M, Lynchburg), the heir to the shot-power throne that plays like a bigger David Evans? I have seen David Evans play since I was a young boy, sir. You, Mr. Cranston are no David Evans. Perhaps Terry Kimener (M, UMBC) is the best bet. He’s certainly the most proven player that Denver took, but he hasn’t been effective as a consistent scorer since 2008, when he put up 16 goals for Chicago. Too close to call: three good selections; one will be great in 2011.

Worst Pick: Mike Podgajny, M, Notre Dame. He’s had chances on other teams (Boston, San Francisco) but never stuck. He’s not quite strong enough to be a d-middie, not quite fast enough to play the wing. A true between-the-boxes ’tweener that will work hard in practice, but only see the field if injuries allow for it.

Grade: A-. It’s got to be a good draft if you get 3-4 squad players that have started in the MLL at some point in their careers.

Rochester Rattlers

What, no Joe Walters? The former Machine franchise needed a little bit of everything. The Neu-Rattlers have a ton of young talent to develop, but a lack of veteran leadership going into the 2011 season. The fans will come, the team will play hard, but will it be able to eclipse last year’s record of 4-8?

Best Pick: Matt Alrich, A, Delaware. Alrich was one of the most proven and talented attackmen in the draft. So why did he slip to the eighth round? Well, when you skip out on an MLL team in favor of the LXM Pro Tour after being one of their leading scorers for the previous two seasons, teams tend to remember that. They also remember 65 points in the previous two seasons.

Worst Pick: Dan Groot, M, Maryland. Three MLL games. Three MLL points. In 2009. Yes, Groot was selected in the first round by the Rattlers in the 2010 MLL Supplemental Draft! A Canandaigua, N.Y., native, Groot is at the very least available and at the very best a second-line midfielder.

The Nationals:

There is one lesson the Nationals have taught us: Professional lacrosse teams cannot be feeder programs for national lacrosse teams. The Nationals not only sent the most players to the World Games, but they also sent their coach. The defending 2009 MLL champion sent their championship coach away when they had the worst record in the league. Maybe if Team Canada had won the gold they could justify such a maneuver. But they didn’t win. Now the Nationals are on the move, scrambling for players. If Kyle Rubisch (D, Dowling) is the real deal it’s a big step in the right direction for a previously rudderless franchise.

Best Pick: Kevin Leveille, A, UMass. Word is the elder Leveille isn’t planning on playing this summer, which is why he slipped to the third round. He may be the greatest creative goal-scorer in the history of the league. But he’s not a big guy. He gets knocked around a lot. The bumps and bruises have taken their toll, and Leveille would be crazy not to rest up for another run when he’s 100% healthy. However, the itch to play is always there for great players. K. Levs may not want to play right now. Doesn’t mean he’s 100% out, which is why this is a stellar pick up for the nasty Nats.

Worst Pick: Anyone that’s not Canadian. I’m serious. At least Leveille played hockey, he can blend.

Grade: If Leveille plays: A. If Leveille doesn’t play: B. Rubisch would have to be a Josh Coffman-like bust to justify anything lower.